Jack Crawford, Kenmore's first mayor dies at age 80
By TOM CORRIGAN
Bothell Reporter Reporter
Jan 06 2009
“He was a very caring community member,” said resident and local historian Tom Traeger of his friend and the first mayor of Kenmore, Jack Crawford.
Traeger added it was his friend’s sense of humor that helped Crawford keep issues in perspective during the time he spent as mayor and on City Council.
“He was a man who had a very positive impact on everyone he came across,” said Elmer Skold, another friend of Crawford’s and another local historian.
At 80, Crawford died, according to his family, “peacefully” of a heart attack at his home Dec. 27.
Involved with the Kenmore community from even before its official beginnings, Crawford was elected to Kenmore City Council in a special election held in April 1998 prior to the city officially even being formally incorporated, according to “Kenmore by the Lake: A Community History.”
Not incidentally, that printed record of Kenmore’s past certainly is a project Crawford supported, according to Skold and Traeger. The book was created by the Kenmore Heritage Society, of which Crawford was president at the time of his death.
After his initial election to council, that council then selected Crawford as the city’s first mayor, a position he held through 1999. And although he did not continue as mayor, Crawford was re-elected to council in 2002.
“We were a city blessed with a harmonious council, a professional staff and, even more important, a community of citizens who cared about their new city,” Crawford is quoted as saying in the pages of “A Community History.”
The book notes as an aside that Crawford and the city’s first deputy mayor, Dick Taylor, took it upon themselves to paint decorative Kenmore signs that hung along Bothell Way. It was only after doing the work that the pair discovered the signs belonged not to the city, but to local merchants.
While Crawford had a hand in the creation of “A Community History,” Traeger talked about how his friend was directly responsible for writing a children’s history of Kenmore. Traeger added that as far as he knows, Kenmore is the only small city in America with a written history aimed directly at young readers.
Traeger also talked about Crawford’s creating publicly displayed banners proclaiming “Courtesy is Contagious in Kenmore.”
“A lot of people thought that was corny, but that was Jack,” Traeger said.
Born in Anthony, Kansas, in 1928, Crawford was a 21-year Navy veteran, a military chaplain who served during World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
“He took great pride in the fact that he had served in the military,” Skold said.
Crawford arrived in Kenmore with his wife, Char, in 1969. Skold said Crawford very much was involved in the movement that led to the formation of Kenmore as a city. Later, as a nod to the city’s first mayor, officials named Kenmore’s skateboard park after him.
“The passing of Jack is a tremendous loss for the Kenmore community,” said Mayor David Baker. “Jack was very active in the community and helped make Kenmore the city it is today.”
In addition to his involvement in Kenmore, Crawford also served for many years on the Sound Transit Board and, according to Skold, was a national president of the Model A Ford Club of America.
Skold said Crawford and his family owned a Model A of their own, which for many years was used during city parades and other community events.
Any list of Crawford’s community involvement apparently actually could be quite long. In addition to the groups and activities already mentioned, Crawford was an active member of the Kenmore Library Board and the Puget Sound Dahlia Association. He was a member of the Bothell United Methodist Church and sang for many years in the church’s Sojourners Men’s Gospel Choir. His family described him as a great Seahawks and Mariners fan.
Crawford is survived by his wife of 40 years along with children, Reesie, Karen, Douglas, Richard, Joel, Ray, Chris and Jackie, along with their spouses and 19 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
He also is survived by his sister, Jackie Johnson, and his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Rita and Barry Gilfilen and their children.
A memorial service is planed for 2 p.m. Jan. 7 at the Bothell United Methodist Church. A reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be sent to the church’s Commission on Relief.
In honor of Crawford’s service to Kenmore, officials have said city flags will be lowered throughout the day of Crawford’s memorial.
Bothell Reporter Reporter Tom Corrigan can be reached at tcorrigan@bothell-reporter.com or (425) 483-3732, ext. 5052.- Civil
- Smart
- On-topic
- Free of profanity
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